The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 13 letter word SCHIZOPHRENIA
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
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Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "unfortunate mental state" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case unfortunate mental state = schizophrenia.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SCHIZOPHRENIA mean?
SCHIZOPHRENIA noun- A psychiatric diagnosis denoting a persistent, often chronic, mental illness characterised by abnormal perception, thinking, behavior and emotion, often marked by delusions.
- Any condition in which disparate or mutually exclusive activities coexist; a lack of decision between options.